Egypt, a court sentences 43 foreign NGO workers to prison
Cairo (AsiaNews / Agencies) - An Egyptian court has sentenced to prison 43 operators of non-governmental agencies, including 27 foreigners, for having received illegal funding from abroad. The penalties range from a maximum of five years in prison for 17 U.S. citizens, tried in absentia, to a minimum of one year. The verdict, announced last night by the judge Makram Awad, has sparked strong reaction from the United States. John Kerry, U.S. Secretary of State, said the trial was "incompatible with the democratic transition in Egypt." The United States is the main partner of the Egyptian army, which receives each year from Washington a total of 1.3 billion dollars. The diplomat said the convictions are a serious attack on Egyptian civil society, which bring the country back to the period of the Mubarak regime.
The crackdown by the Egyptian authorities against foreign NGOs began at the end
of 2011 during demonstrations against the Army High Council (SCAF) headed by
General Mohamed Hussein Tantawi. At the time the court had ordered the closure
of a number of organizations charging that, under the pretext of supporting the
transition to democracy, they fomented riots against the military government by
illegally receiving money from abroad. The process continued under the rule of
the Muslim Brotherhood and has led to the expulsion of several American
organizations including the International Republican Institute (IRI), the
National Democratic Institute (NDI) and Freedom House (FH).
20/12/2016 09:50